Raquel's Miracle Kidney

05/08/2026

After countless blood tests, doctor appointments, and procedures, I finally received the news that I have officially been listed for a kidney transplant. 💚

This is a huge step forward in my journey, but my fight is not over yet. Because I am highly sensitized, finding a compatible kidney is extremely difficult. I am currently searching for a living kidney donor to participate in the paired exchange program through the National Kidney Registry. Even if someone is not a direct match for me, they may still be able to donate on my behalf so I can receive a compatible kidney through a kidney swap program.

I created a microsite where you can learn more about my story, living donation, and how to help: 💚 https://nkr.org/RQJ982

Please take a moment to read and, most importantly, SHARE my story. Every share brings me one step closer to finding my miracle kidney. 🙏

Thank you for all the love, prayers, support, and encouragement you’ve given me throughout this journey. I truly couldn’t do this alone.

Raquel Friera is seeking a living kidney donor. Paired exchange may allow you to help even if you’re not a direct match. Confidential screening takes only a few minutes.

04/29/2026

Scientists discover how to freeze organs without cracking them.

Interesting article, check it out!

Scientists are making a major leap toward freezing organs for future use without damaging them. A new study reveals that one of the biggest obstacles—cracking during ultra-cold preservation—can be reduced by carefully tuning the temperature at which tissues enter a glass-like state. This breakth...

04/17/2026

“Raquel, what were you like in the 90s?”
Always dancing… no matter the place, no matter the song. 💃🏽 Some things never change. ❤️

04/14/2026

This is HUGE!!! The first ever treatment for Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), the kidney disease that I and so many others have! 👏🏽🎉🙏🏽

This disease took my native kidneys and also took my 1st and 2nd kidney transplants in about 3 years and it put me back on hemodialysis. I was diagnosed in 1999 and have been waiting for a treatment for FSGS since then. 🙏🏽🎉😮😍

A breakthrough decades in the making! The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved sparsentan (FILSPARI) for focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS).

This is the first-ever treatment specifically approved for FSGS, and marks a major breakthrough after years without disease-specific therapies.

This milestone is the result of years of collaboration across patients, researchers, physicians, and advocates who never stopped pushing for better care.

Join us Monday, April 20th at 8pm ET for a live town hall lead by expert nephrologists where they will discuss what this approval means for those impacted by FSGS and answer your questions.

To learn more and register for the town hall, click here: https://nephcure.org/fda-approves-sparsentan-for-fsgs-marking-a-landmark-achievement-for-patients-living-with-rare-kidney-disease/

04/13/2026

Follow me on Tik Tok!

Check out rawkel’s video.

04/11/2026

Celebrating Blue & Green Day for Donate Life Month with South Florida Donor Network 💙💚

Today we raise awareness for the life-saving power of organ, eye, and tissue donation, while honoring the heroic donors and families who make second chances possible.

Did you know you can donate certain organs while alive? Living donors can save lives by donating a kidney or a portion of their liver.

You can also register to become an organ donor and give the gift of life after you pass. Organs that can be donated include the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, pancreas, and intestines—helping multiple people in need.

Be a hero. Sign up as a donor, have the conversation with your loved ones, and help create more second chances.

04/11/2026

Celebrating Blue & Green Day for Donate Life with South Florida Donor Network. 💙💚

04/09/2026

It’s Donate Life Month and we are honoring the extraordinary donor heroes who make our work possible. In 2025, Gift of Life Donor Program achieved a new national record coordinating the most life-saving organs transplanted of any organ procurement organization in U.S. history and the most organ donor heroes in the organization’s history.

The impact of each donor is rippling through our community — more time around the dinner table, milestones to celebrate and futures restored for transplant recipients and their families.

Like a tree that grows for generations, each one of us can create a legacy of hope, healing and life through organ and tissue donation. “Leave a Legacy” is the theme for Donate Life Month 2026.

You have the power to save lives. Sign up today at donors1.org/register.

01/25/2026

I’m still in shock and my heart is broken. Yesterday, the world lost an incredible young man completely unexpectedly. I only met Jordan twice, but in those moments, I felt the powerful divinity within him.

I first met his mom through our shared journey with dialysis and kidney transplants. The day she flew from Cali to Miami was when I first met Jordan. I had goosebumps and even burst into tears because of all the power in that one space.

Jordan was a true man of God, lighting up every room, inspiring, singing praises, and touching hearts. He touched mine when he invited me to be a guest on a podcast he was going to release named "Come As You Are" because you come as you are to Christ. Using the platform to share my testimony and kidney journey to raise awareness which could also potentially help me find a kidney donor.

At the studio, he led a beautiful prayer where he invited everyone in the building and the Holy Spirit's presence filled the room. Everyone felt it including the videographer who later told us he was moved by it all. Jordan gifted me a warrior plaque and a green awareness bracelet at the end of the of the podcast recording, which I will cherish forever.

The last time we spoke, he shared the song God revealed to him (playing in this post) that he wanted to use for our photos and in what could only be called divine alignment, I was wearing the green warrior shirt his mom gave me and the green bracelet he gave me. I told him I didn't believe in coincidences and that God was speaking to us. Jordan lived a life of service and faith. I am shattered and can’t understand why such a good soul is gone. I am grateful for the honor of having met a true earth angel.

Jordan, you already had angel wings on earth, and now you’ve gained them in heaven. Fly high with the angels and watch over your mom, brother, family, and loved ones. You were so close to God that God called you home to serve among his angels. 🪽

Please pray for his family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time. Jordan, you will be missed beyond words. 🙏🏼🤍😢

01/22/2026

A big victory! This allows for more kidney disease research. 🙏🏼

On January 20, 2026, lawmakers released a final bipartisan FY2026 Labor, Health and Human Services (LHHS) appropriations bill as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026. This bill has major victories for people with kidney disease, transplant patients, and living donors—proof that advoca...